After being demoted to the National League, three former Blues players, including the gifted midfielder, have left the team.
Following their relegation from the English Football League, Forest Green Rovers released Reece Brown, a former star of the Birmingham City youth.
After being demoted twice in a row, the midfielder is one of three former Blues players who were permitted to leave the New Lawn and enter the National League.
Both Dom Bernard, who also came through the Blues development system, and David Davis, who has not played this season, have severed their connections with the Nailsworth-based team.
After playing in more than 180 games for Rovers and being a member of the squad that was promoted to League One in 2022, Bernard is leaving.
Brown is now seeking for a new club having played just 12 times for Forest Green this season and having made just two substitute appearances since Steve Cotterill replaced Troy Deeney in January.
Cotterill, who will stay on and try to take Rovers back into the Football League, was not able to stem the club’s downturn despite producing seven wins in his 19 games.
Additionally, Brown’s two years in Gloucestershire have come to an end because he was unable to contribute in the closing weeks. The 28-year-old was once regarded as one of the Blues academy’s best prospects; in September 2013, at the age of just 17, he made his first team debut thanks to his technical skill.
After signing his first professional deal in January 2014, he was given his first start a few months later and appeared to be headed for a bright career.
But following a disastrous loan spell at Notts County, his shine faded, and first team opportunities dried up when Gary Rowett took Lee Clark’s place. Following his release in 2017, he began his first stint at Rovers, where he enjoyed two successful seasons and contributed to Forest Green’s 2019 play-off run.
After signing with Huddersfield Town and playing for Peterborough, he was rewarded with a return to the Championship and eventually rejoined Rovers after their promotion to League One.
